Waterbury police seize handgun, arrest 1 after locating stolen vehicle

A Waterbury man was arrested Thursday evening in a stolen vehicle while illegally carrying a handgun as police across the state crack downonautothefts and illegal guns to combat violence in Connecticut’s urban centers.

Engel Guerrero, 21, was charged with 11 offenses, including illegal sale of a firearm, altering a serial number on a firearm and second-degree larceny, police announced Friday.

Waterbury police traffic patrol units spotted a stolen brownNissanAltimadriving on Willow Street at about 6 p.m. Thursday and radioed the information to their colleagues, Sgt Robert Davis said.

Officers spotted the car a short time later parked on Hillside Avenue and apprehended Guerrero there, Davis said.

He was found with a loaded 9mm SCCY CPX-1 handgun for which he did not have a permit and whose serial number appeared to havebeenaltered, police said.

Police throughout the state have further focused investigations and resources on stolen cars and illegal weaponcarrying, whichofficials have said are directly tied to recent violence in urban communities across the state where cars often stolen from suburbs are used to perpetrate violent crimes.

On Wednesday, Waterbury officers seized two other handguns — a 9mm Glock and a .38-caliber Colt revolver — during a search warrant executed by the department’s gang task force at the Big Apple

Motel on West Main Street. Police also seized 434 bags of heroin, 9.8 grams of crack and 130 grams of marijuana.

In that case 30-year-old Gabriel Deleon, 22-year-old Jhari Thomas and 43-yearold Michelle Bosch were arrested and charged with a series of drug and weapons offenses, including illegal sale of a firearm, alteration of firearms serial numbers and operating of a drug factory, police said.